By a Preponderance
'"By a Preponderance" '''is the fourteenth episode of ''Justice and the 32nd episode overall. It was published on October 12, 2018. In the episode, the trial concludes in Lawbot Headquarters. The Chairman makes one last effort to prevent a fullscale invasion of Bossbot Headquarters. The Episode Lawbot Headquarters =Present Day= Regardless of the outcome of the trial, Eileen was happy. The tide was turning. She had learned the night before that Slate Oldman had successfully cured Herb Clark and that the team was hard at work injecting a serum into the hearts of the Togs to restore them to their toonity. She had gone herself to Toon Headquarters to see the action and was amazed at the results. Nearly half had been healed and their families were on their way to reunite with their loved ones. And so it was hard to be in a bad mood today. The plan still stood: the Lawbots would be attacked when the verdict was read. An army of Toons was waiting outside Polar Place, hidden in shops, to storm the Towers. “…and so we urge the jury to deliver a guilty verdict,” Atticus finished his closing statements. He sat back down and sighed. “The Prosecution rests.” The Chief Justice nodded his blindfolded head and gestured in the direction of the Defense. The Big Wig in charge stood, faced the jury, and stated, “As Ms. Cow is being accused of a crime against Toontown—which does not exist in any political or legal means—she cannot be guilty. Deliver the proper not guilty verdict. The Defense rests.” Eileen put her paw over her eyes and rolled them. The Cogs were insufferable. “Jury,” the Chief Justice said, “you have now heard all the evidence and testimony for this trial. Today, you will enter sequester and deliberate the verdict. You will inform the Bailiff when you have a verdict. Though a unanimous verdict is preferred, we will accept a majority vote after six hours of deliberation. We will reconvene at that time, and the decision shall be read before the court. Who amongst you will be the Jury Foreman?” All the Toons crossed their arms while the Cogs looked toward a Big Wig. “I am,” he said. “Very well,” the Chief Justice said. “Bailiff, escort the jury to sequester.” The jury filed out of the room. Penny Clark turned to look one last time at Clarabelle before disappearing. The Defense then took Clarabelle from the courtroom. “You can come back in six hours,” Atticus said. “The Toons will not vote for acquittal, and the Cogs won’t vote for conviction. So it’ll take at minimum six hours before they can declare a hung jury.” Constance nodded. “I’ll go back to my office then so I can work on the details of the Bossbot attacks.” “I’ll help,” Eileen said. “And I’ll make sure everyone on Polar Place is good to go,” Aleck said in a hushed voice. Eileen also wanted to go to Toon HQ to see if she could be of any help to Alice, Bradley, and Slate as they saved the Togs from their torment. Toon Headquarters “HERB!” “MOM!” Kara Clark bounded into the open cell and nearly tackled her son. Clara Clark, Doe Clark, and the entire clan followed suit. Their struggle was over. The battle was won. “Oh, thank you,” Kara said to Slate, Alice, and Bradley. “You saved my son.” Patrick Prepostera reunited with Pete Ingalls and began to spit information like fire. It was stuff they already knew, but he was still adamant about sharing it. “I sent a dog to Fantasyland! I had to lose all my memories…I knew it was going to happen…the Cogs had already injected me. I was going to be a Tog. I threw my transport hole and he…” He noticed Bradley, the dog in question. “Did…did it work?” he asked. “Did you find them?” “I did,” Bradley said, smiling at Pete. He remembered the day he ended up there, in that strange land. The human plane. How he told Pete that he was sorry for what he lost: his dead wife and missing son. The event that would ultimately trigger the return from Exodus. If Prepostera had not sent Bradley away from the Final Battle last year…what would have happened to the Toons in Fantasyland? Would they ever have found their way home? As Alice helped the restored Toons to their paws and coordinated the reunions with their families, Drema Yawn and Slate went cell to cell injecting the serum. They would ensure the green around the heart had subsided before informing Alice they were ready for her. Flim Flam, the second-to-last Tog, was being injected now. Bradley called to Alice when she awoke. Drema and Slate then moved on to the last cell: Soggy Bottom. “Bradley, do you mind helping us with this one?” “Of course,” Bradley said, and held the canister as Slate retrieved as much liquid as he could for the needle. “Her heart is artificial,” Slate reminded, “The Cogs ripped her old one out altogether when she was trapped in Sellbot Headquarters. It may be harder to restore her laff since this heart never had it.” “Right,” Bradley said, sad for Soggy. She was so peaceful now, lying on her cot in deep slumber. Awaiting true laff’s first touch. Slate angled the needle directly over her heart, and pierced the skin. They waited. And waited. Slate got another dose and rammed it into her. But nothing happened. “Hmm,” was all Slate said. “As you expected?” Drema asked in a normal tone of voice, instead of her over-the-top dramatic drawl. “Yes,” Slate replied. “We need to craft her a new heart.” Bradley sputtered. “''What''?” “Is that feasible?” Drema asked. Slate thought for a few seconds, then nodded. “I’ll need Dr. Artery. He lives on Loopy Lane. And Professor Ingalls. He knows the biology.” Without another word, Slate exited the cell and walked past all the reunions to go upstairs and get to work. Loopy Lane =Four Hours Later= Dr. Artery and Pete Ingalls had never in their entire careers experienced such a difficult task. Constructing a heart from scratch was an arduous and exceedingly delicate task, but the importance of getting this done now could not be overstated. If the surgery was a success, then the Toon Resistance could cure the four Togs in Bossbot Headquarters. Slate, Artery, and Pete were hard at work assembling the heart. Once it was done and functional, they could pump it with laff. Slate would use his ice powers to freeze the parts in place. Then Artery would have to perform the surgery itself. They were bent over a workbench in Artery’s office, using as many organ parts as Sepulchra Rigor could spare from the morgue. With luck, before the day was out, they’d have a new heart for Soggy Bottom, and the Tog question would finally be answered. Toon Hall =Two Hours Later= The six hours that the Chief Justice had given flew by. Eileen had returned immediately to Toon Hall with Constance and gathered the Toon Council. They won’t over in detail the events of the past few days, and the significance of what was to come. The Cogs were weakening, bit by bit. The Sellbots were floundering, the Resistance was more familiar with the Cashbots and the CFO had already been redefeated by another team, the Lawbots were about to be blasted to kingdom come, and the Bossbots had another thing coming. Something happy this way comes, Eileen thought as she looked at the map of Bossbot HQ that Barbara had printed for everyone. It was spread over the Council table. Armed with the new laff serum that Slate had designed and the prospect of successful surgeries, the Toons would finally have the resources to storm the Bossbot Clubhouse and attack the CEO and the Chairman. They would be able to look for and find Ash Ingalls and bring him home. Look for the other Toons that were left behind and kidnapped in the days before Exodus. The room was packed. The Toon Council, the leadership of every neighborhood, dozens of members of the Resistance, and Alice and Bradley were clustered around the table. It was standing-room only. “Soggy is the only Tog left,” Alice was saying. “And Slate and Pete are working with Dr. Artery on Loopy Lane to develop an artificial heart to replace the Cog one.” “And all the other Togs have been reunited with their families,” Bradley said. “Oh,” Alice said, “and on that note—Soggy didn’t have any family listed in the directory…does anyone know we should contact when she wakes up? I hate the thought of her having no one except strangers.” Piggy Pie stepped forward. “I know someone. I’ll give you their info.” Eileen nodded to Constance, who took her cue. “Here is a recap of the plan. This is it, everyone. We’re going to do this and do it right.” She pointed at the leaders of the Gardens and Melodyland, led by Mulaney Chortle and Doe Clark. “The Resistance members from the Gardens and Melodyland will lead a continuous siege against Sellbot Headquarters. Melodyland will tackle the factory, while the Gardens will take shots at the VP. After two hours, you’ll switch. Peaches Clark will be on Oak Street providing a continuous stream of gags. There will also be a toonup station in Detective Lima’s shop.” “Dreamland and Toontown Central will take Cashbot Headquarters,” Constance continued. “Toontown Central will run the Mints and do as much damage as possible. Dreamland will take the CFO.” Ichabod Irving squirmed uncomfortably. He had tried to get out of the discussion, but Constance had roasted him for his apathy. “The Brrrgh members will follow us to Lawbot Headquarters and assist us in kidnapping Clarabelle after the verdict is read. We will then storm both Lawbot Towers. The prize is the Chief Justice. He must be defeated.” Constance cleared her throat. “All shopkeepers will take back street buildings regardless of neighborhood. They will not rest until they’re gone. And lastly—” She pointed at the map of BBHQ. “The Docks members will accompany me and Barbara on a voyage to the crag. They will fight in the golf courses and raze them to the ground. The major goal here is the Chairman and the CEO. The Bossbot Clubhouse has never been infiltrated before, but…” It was Mata Hairy’s turn. She stepped to the forefront and bowed graciously to the room. “Good evening,” she said. “Thanks to the reconnaissance work of Barbara, we know that this very night the Chairman will hosting a banquet for the top-ranking leaders in the Bossbot sect. The CEO will be in attendance, as will nearly two hundred Big Cheeses. There is extensive security surrounding the Clubhouse, and so far there are no known secret entrances. But with my ease of access to the electrical terminus beneath Cashbot Headquarters, I was able to code eight Bossbot suits into their system as waiters. Eight of our strongest Toons will enter the Clubhouse and serve the banquet.” Hyla and Kilo stepped forth. “The Toons in serving costumes will first kill all the Cogs in the kitchen. Hyla and I will be outside the Clubhouse and wait for the signal—a candle in the window of the main kitchen. This will be the signal for us to contaminate the oil line in the courtyard. We’ll poison it with gags, so that when the waiters serve the banquet guests their oil cans, they’ll explode.” “Who’s going in as a waiter?” Doe Clark asked. “Me,” Eileen said, “Constance, Aleck, Piggy Pie, Tori Dorrance, Horace Calves, Pete Ingalls, and Slate Oldman.” “What happens after the poisoning?” Barbara asked, crossing her arms. “That’s uncertain,” Constance said. “We will attempt to defeat the CEO and the Chairman. With the Clubhouse’s leaders destroyed and the golf courses under attack, and the other Cogs with their own problems to deal with, we will look for Ash Ingalls and other survivors. We will recover the Togs and flee the island.” “And,” Kilo said, “Hyla and I will plant destabilizers on the cliffs around the island to be detonated from the shore by one of us. Once all the Toons are safely off the crag, we will shake the island like an earthquake. The island will collapse into the sea, and Bossbot Headquarters will be no more.” The room was silent. Everyone processed each part of the plan. It was by far the most elaborate yet. The entire town was shutting down for the attack. Gags were being mass-produced, Toons were training, and hopes were high. Eileen had not expected events to unfold this quickly, but the Toons were ready. For the first time in a long time, they could envision taking their town back. Tonight could very well the night that it all ended. The phone in the chamber rang. Constance hurried to answer it. “It’s time!” she yelled. “The jury has a verdict. Places, everyone.” She flashed a nervous smile. “It’s showtime.” Lawbot Headquarters “Eileen, I’m going to throw up,” Atticus said out loud, probably loud enough for the Defense to hear. For Clarabelle to hear. The cow was sitting smugly in her chair, her back perfectly erect. Her ridiculous diamond-shaped earrings dangled from her ears. She batted her eyelashes at the jury as they returned. Eileen, Constance, and Aleck kept one hand on their concealed gag pouches. In the gallery, Vidalia, Piggy Pie, and other were waiting for the imminent battle. “Ahem,” the Chief Justice said, rolling to the front of his podium. “Has the jury reached a verdict?” The foreman of the Jury stood, the Big Wig. “Yes, sir.” “Is this decision unanimous?” “No, sir.” Eileen took a deep breath, keeping her body loose to spring into action. “Is this decision a majority?” “Yes, sir.” “Very well. Please read aloud for the courtroom your verdict.” Eileen glanced at Atticus. “How can there be a majority if it’s a hung jury?” Atticus did not respond. “We the Jury have found in the case of The Toons vs. Clarabelle Cow that the defendant, Miss Clarabelle Cow, is guilty of the crimes laid before her.” Eileen’s mouth fell all the way open. Constance audibly gasped. Clarabelle screamed in horror. She completely snapped, standing and hollering as the foreman finished reading. The Toons on the jury beamed in contentment. Eileen whirled around to look at the gallery, where the gathered Toons were conglomerated in shock. No one moved. No one reached for their gags. “Mr. Lynch,” the Chief Justice said, “you may take the convicted into custody. This trial is settled.” “NOOOO!” Clarabelle bellowed. She sunk to her knees and continued to scream. Her Defense team did nothing. Aleck slowly walked over and grabbed Clarabelle gently by the arm. He hauled her to her feet. Constance hurried over to help. Atticus lowered his head on the desk and took a breath of relief. He had won his case. Piggy Pie waved to Eileen from the gallery. “Hey,” she hissed. “What do we do?” Eileen tried to make sense of what had happened. A 6-6 Cog/Toon jury had somehow delivered a majority vote for conviction. Which meant that at least one Cog voted for conviction. But…why? And how? “Uh…” Eileen said. “Let’s go. We have somewhere to be.” Piggy Pie nodded, knowing they were going to the crag tonight. “What about the…the you know?” Vidalia asked, pulling back her coat to reveal her gag pouch. “Why don’t you stay here?” Eileen said suggestively. “While we take Clarabelle to…uh…to prison.” Vidalia tipped her head. As Clarabelle was dragged forcibly down the aisle and out of the courtroom, Vidalia spat on her. Down in the courtyard, the Cogs jeered at the Toons as they took Clarabelle. By now, though, Clarabelle had given up resistance and walked in tandem with Aleck and Constance. At the tunnel to Polar Place, Susan Fletcher gaped at the scene. Instead of seeing a raging battle, she was seeing justice. They had won the case against Clarabelle. Aleck and Constance walked past her into the tunnel, taking Clarabelle with them. “Eileen,” Susan gasped. “What…?” “Guilty verdict,” Eileen said. She turned to look back at the two towers of Lawbot Headquarters, then back to Susan. A smile spread across her face. “But that doesn’t save the Chief Justice. Charge the towers.” Susan blew her whistle. And the Toons came running. Loopy Lane “Could you please hand me that scalpel?” Dr. Artery asked, clearly under no rush. Slate obeyed. Pete checked his watch. He and Slate were due at the docks in a bit over an hour. They needed to speed up the process. They finally had assembled the heart and now were ready to put it into Soggy. The Cog heart was crude and on the verge of failure. Removing it saved Soggy already. But she would need a beating heart to live, one filled with laff and happiness. “Here we go,” Dr. Artery said and lowered the new heart into Soggy’s chest. Toon HQ Alice and Bradley had just cleared out the last of the Togs and sent them home with their families. Mere minutes later, after cleaning one cell, the basement was inundated with the leaders of Toontown. And they brought with them a prize—Clarabelle Cow. She was staring at the ground in defeat, probably incredulous that she lost the trial. Alice could hardly believe it when she walked in. She wasn’t gallivanting around Lawbot HQ under the delusion that somehow the Lawbots would give her a calf. She was here, to be imprisoned. For a long time. “Which cell is clean?” Aleck asked, seeing most of them had stripped linen. “Uh,” Bradley said and turned to look at the back of the cell block. “Those.” Aleck put a paw on Eileen’s shoulder. “I need to stay here tonight,” he said. “I have to prepare her cell. We can’t have an Ahab repeat and I need to do what I can to understand how we got here. I need to talk to Clarabelle.” “Understandable,” Eileen said, not caring that they were talking about Clarabelle even though she was right there. “We’ll find someone to replace you on tonight’s mission.” They put Clarabelle in her cell, and left Aleck with her. Alice and Bradley followed the rest of the entourage back upstairs to the Toon Patrol station. Mata Hairy was standing in the lobby, oddly in her Cog suit. “The Lawbot and Sellbot attacks are underway. I’m heading to Pajama Place to launch the Cashbot offensive. And Constance—you have a phone call on hold from Dr. Artery. Sounds like good news.” Constance hurried to the phone. “Mata,” Eileen said, “Wait. We need someone to replace Aleck on tonight’s mission. Can we count on you?” “No can do,” Mata said bluntly. “My place is with the Dreamlanders in Cashbot HQ.” She looked at Alice and Bradley. “Take one of them.” Alice choked. “''What''?” As if. AS IF. There was no way in hell she’d go. She seized Bradley’s paw. “No thank you,” she said. But Bradley, oh Bradley, lingered. Because of course he did. She wasn’t surprised at all when he said, “I’ll go, if you’ll have me.” Alice could tell that Eileen was thinking about it. Bradley was a dark horse candidate—like Flippy when he went into the Loopy Lane building. And died. “Bradley,” Alice said tenderly. “Please don’t. They…these are the bosses. The ones who outlasted the others. They’re the ones who will remember you. Remember us. They’ll take you back. They’ll take you from me.” Bradley cradled Alice’s paw. “Alice,” he whispered, pulling her away from the crowd and their searching eyes, “do you remember that feeling of being trapped when we were in the bunker?” Alice looked away. “Of course.” “The Togs are trapped now. They’re stuck there and we’re their only chance to get out. Doctor was always very kind to me…even when I was Clan Destine. I have to help him.” “But why you?” Alice cried. Bradley placed a reassuring paw on the side of Alice’s face, then looked at Eileen. “What does she always say?” Bradley said thoughtfully. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil…” Alice groaned. “Is for good Toons to do nothing.” “We’ve done nothing for so long. Do I have your blessing to go?” Alice relented. “Yes.” “Eileen!” Bradley called instantly. “May I join you on your quest?” The maroon mouse smiled and tipped her head. “It would be an honor.” Loopy Lane Soggy groggily opened her eyes. The room swam into view. She closed her eyes again to let her head settle. She had a pounding headache, and her chest hurt. She squirmed in the soft bed and tried looking around. Someone was sitting at the edge of the bed. Someone purple. “Violet?” Soggy whispered. Violet Vance leaned over and took Soggy’s hoof. “How do you feel?” Soggy let her head sink into the pillow. She didn’t hear the Cog voices anymore. The ticking in her heart. The lack of love and light. She felt…like herself. “I feel better,” Soggy said truthfully. She tried to sit up, but the pain in her torso prevented her. “Rest easy,” Violet said. “Dr. Artery just finished surgery. He took out the Cog heart.” Soggy was assailed with the horrible memories of Sellbot Headquarters and the Cogs who operated on her, their cold surgical tools cutting into her flesh. The terror that had filled her. The sense of hopelessness that never left her. Shouts came from outside, causing Violet to look cautiously to the door. “What’s happening?” Soggy asked, trying to maintain her own courage. Violet turned back to her with excitement. “The Toon Resistance is attacking everywhere. Everywhere. All the HQs, all the buildings. We’re taking our town back.” Soggy furrowed her eyebrows. “Shouldn’t you be out there, then?” Violet frowned, her beak moving downward with the expression. “Of course not,” she said. “My place is by my friend’s side.” Soggy began to cry, and Violet gave her a hug. The Docks The fog was rolling into the Bay, pouring over the rocks in the distance. The tiny dot on the horizon that was the crag was still, for now. Eileen, Constance, Bradley, Piggy Pie, Horace, Tori, Slate, and Pete stood at the forefront of the crowd. Barbara was organizing her citizens into groups for teleportation. They were about to transport themselves en masse to the crag, but the eight had to go first and sneak into their Cog suits. “Let’s go,” Eileen said to the others, and they put their plan into effect. Bossbot Clubhouse The Chairman was breathing heavily. Reports of heavy Toon attacks were coming in from every corner of Cog Nation, and their asset in Clarabelle Cow had been taken into Toon custody. Somehow a Cog voted for conviction. It was a 7-5 vote. The Cog responsible, a Legal Eagle, was instantly gutted and his faulty circuits destroyed. The loss of Clarabelle was a serious blow—she was to lead their diplomatic voyage north to the Kingdoms. Now they would have to shelve their plans. The Toons had already shut down the Factory and deposed the sitting Vice President. The Chairman turned to the CEO, who was dressed in his finest suit for tonight’s banquet. “Order all the Cogs to attack every street and every Toon and take no survivors. Triple security around the island. Nothing will interrupt tonight’s banquet. I need the Bossbot leadership to accept a new plan to eliminate the Toon problem.” The CEO nodded and lifted a heavy hand toward the three Togs in the corner. “What shall we do with them?” The Chairman sighed. “I don’t know. Let them burn when their time comes. I guess have them clean the office tonight. It could use a good scrub.” Doctor could feel that same sensation, of a scale tipping. Himself tumbling headfirst into his own body. He impulsively took a deep breath. The Chairman and CEO were leaving. Smokey Joe and Lucy Tires were on their hands and knees, rubbing the floor with brushes. Doctor slowly moved his head and said aloud, “I am Doctor. I am a Toon.” It felt unreal. He was speaking! It was working! He was regaining control again. Lucy Tires burst into flames. Doctor jumped in shock. He watched sadly as she turned to ash. Smokey Joe, unfazed, continued to clean the floor. Doctor closed his eyes and tried to remember what the Chairman had been saying—Toon attacks all over Toontown? Every HQ? They might even come here? His heart soared. This was the rescue! The Toons—Piggy Pie—were coming to save him! “Think, Doctor…” He tried to remember and maintain the memories of all the secrets he had learned while incarcerated here. All the stuff the Chairman, CEO, Chief Justice, CFO, and VP had discussed. He tried to visualize the hallways down which he always walked. His cell, the Chairman’s office, the meeting spaces, and the banquet hall. He had seen the crypt, the dead, the… Ash. Ash Ingalls! Doctor had seen Ash Ingalls! And he hadn’t been dead… Doctor pressed a hand to his forehead and tried to think as hard as he could. When did he see him? It had been right after his first time fighting his conversion and he had been surprised to realize he had seen Ash. The son of Pete Ingalls. The cat… Purple. Purple cat! Where had he seen that color? It was so distinct…and unnatural. Here, in Cog Headquarters, where all was grey and dark. Vibrant purple. Doctor felt like the answer was right in front of him. Was it in one of the cells? Or in the crypt? Somewhere in headquarters? Maybe in the Chairman’s office, or… It hit him like a Cog attack. Hard, to the heart, enough to shock him back into his Tog state. The Cog Doctor shoved Toon Doctor back into submission, but he couldn’t shake the thought. He would never. He had been staring at Ash all this time without knowing, without realizing, without seeing. He had seen Ash’s face behind the cracked mask of the Chairman. Ash Ingalls was the Chairman of the Cogs. Production Continuity and Story Arcs The end of Clarabelle's trial finally arrived, and the verdict returned 7-5 in favor of guilty, which resulted in Clarabelle's immediate arrest. The 6-6 split of Cogs and Toons essentially meant that one Cog voted for conviction. Clarabelle was released into the custody of Aleck Harding, who imprisoned her. Eileen orchestrated an elaborate and extremely coordinated plot to overthrow the Cogs by launching strikes on every Cog headquarters with fullscale invasions. These attacks were to be conducted the very same day, and occurred in "Hearts Ablaze" and "Banners High." The remainder of the Togs were cured, with the exception of the ones in BBHQ. Soggy went under surgery to have her heart replaced, and the operation was a success. Violet Vance returned to be at her side. Despite Alice's misgivings, Bradley Wolfe volunteered to go to BBHQ and fight the CEO and Chairman. He replaced Aleck Harding on the mission after the latter dropped out to prepare Clarabelle's cell to prevent another suicide like Ahab Ishmael. Lucy Tires died, leaving only Smokey Joe and Doctor as the Togs in BBHQ. After two seasons of speculation as to the whereabouts of Ash Ingalls, he was revealed to be the Chairman of the Cogs. References The line "true laff's first touch" is a reference to the fairy tale line "true love's first kiss" "Something happy this way comes" is a reference to the phrase "something wicked this way comes." Trivia *The title of this episode refers to the common legal phrase in civil cases "beyond a preponderance of the evidence," which asks jurors to base their decision on where the majority of the evidence leads them. In this case, the jury convicted Clarabelle of being guilty by a preponderance of the evidence. *Ash's identity as the Chairman was planned from the beginning. The intent was to keep Ash in the back of the reader's mind while putting forth the larger-than-life evil entity of the Chairman to prevent readers from connecting the two. The only real clue given throughout the season was the purple color behind the cracked face of the Chairman. *The Chairman's identity reveal was originally planned for the first season, but was cut due to the large number of plotpoints covered in the season finale. It was additionally pushed back in anticipation of the Chairman's larger role in the second season. **Similarly, the reveal was scheduled for the second season finale, but was bumped up for a better effect. Category:Episodes Category:Justice Episodes